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May 2019 Printable 172 KB .pdf

Father, thank you for giving us eternal life through your son the Lord Jesus Christ. Father, thank you for we were buried with Jesus Christ, we were raised with him and when he sat down at your right hand, we sat down with him. Father, thank you for blessing us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Father, thank you for one day all your children shall have the same spiritual body that Christ has. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Last month's teaching focused on Living the Great Mystery in the Church Epistles: Reproof, Correction and Instruction in Righteousness. We saw how all three elements - doctrine, reproof and correction - work together so that Instruction in Righteous is complete. It is really overwhelming to see the design and purpose of the seven marvelous Church Epistles: Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. We have been given the authority and power in the name of Jesus Christ to walk victoriously in this age of Grace.

This month's teaching is on Living the Great Mystery - Created, Formed, Made, Body, Soul, Spirit, and the Hope.

Let's begin by understanding how man was formed, made and created by reading Isaiah 43:7:

Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

In accordance with the Word of God, male and female were made in His image and after His likeness. God created them. In Genesis 1: 26-27:

And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness: So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

So, what is the image of God? These verses do not tell us what God's image is. John 4:24 tells us what the image of God is.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The image of God is Spirit. God has no body and no soul. He is only Spirit. Genesis 2:7 gives us this information.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

God's Word tell us that "God formed man of the dust of the ground" which is man's body. Then God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." This is breath life. Finally, "God created man in his own image" - this is spirit. Adam and Eve had body, soul, and spirit.
According to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, every born-again Christian has the spirit of God.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ [underlines added].

Adam's body was formed from the dust of the ground. Breath life was made, and spirit was created in Adam. This is how man initially had body, soul, and spirit.

So, what happens when a man dies? The body was formed from the dust of the ground. It returns to where it came from. Genesis 3:19:

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

We are formed from dust and we return to dust. Our breath life is what makes our bodies a living soul right now. When we take our last breath in this life, the Bible says we are dead souls.

Remember God "breathed into his [Adam] nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." So, when we take our last breath we are dead. Breathe in and out, if that was the last one where did it go?

Breath life only lives if you have offspring. Leviticus 17:11 tells us "For the life of the flesh is in the blood." We pass this breath life to our children.

I was taught many years ago that soul and spirit are the same thing. According to God's Word, they are not. Soul is nothing more than breath life. Spirit is life eternal received from God when we are born-again of His Spirit (see Romans 10:9).

So we see that a man or woman who is born-again has body, soul and spirit. What happen to this spirit when the person dies? It goes back to God who gave it, because that's God in Christ in you the hope of glory, which is eternal life! Ecclesiastes 12:7 says:

Then shall the dust [body] return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

There is no remembrance in the grave (see Psalm 6:5). Wherever there is no remembrance, there is no consciousness and consequently no concept of time. Ecclesiastes 9:10 tell us, "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou go."

Therefore, the moment of an individual's death is for that individual the return of Christ! Because there is no awareness of time passing. When you really understand this, it will bless your heart!

We have discussed how we are formed, made and created according to God's Word. Now, let's look at Hope. Hope is believing for what is obtainable in the future according to God's Word. Hope is never available now. God's Word in Romans gives us the explanation of hope. Romans 8:24-25:

For we are saved by [to] hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hopes for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience [endurance] wait for it.

According to God's Word, hope "that is seen is not hope." Hope is not in the present; it is never available now! For example, we believe according to God Word for the hope of the return of Christ. All born-again believers that are alive are hoping for Christ's return. I personally want that new body, with a life quickening spirit in it! 1 Corinthians 13:13:

And now abideth faith [believing], hope, charity [the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation], these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

What is the greatest of these three in the world today? Charity. This is the Greek word agape, which is defined as the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation. The love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation activates your believing and anticipates hope.

Believing applies to what is available now in the God's Word. For example, 3 John 2 states:

Beloved, I wish [desire] above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

We can believe now, in the present, to prosper and be in good health. We hope, in the future, for the return of Christ.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, without the rightly divided word of God on the hope of Christ's return, we could not endure the pressures of this life. Many born-again believers today do not believe in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, because they already believe the dead are in heaven with God. Many churches teach when you die, you immediately go heaven to be with Jesus. Other churches teach that you go to purgatory. Let's go to God's Word and see what is written.

There were two phases to Christ's first coming, there are also two phases to Christ's second coming. In the first phase of Christ's first coming it was prophesized: 1. That he would be born in Bethlehem. That birth is documented in Micah 5:2. And 2. That he would come to Jerusalem (see Zechariah 9:9). Those are the two phases of Christ's first coming.

The two phases of Christ's second coming are: 1. Christ coming for his Church (the born-again believers after Pentecost), and 2. Christ's return to earth with his saints; it is called the Day of the Lord in the book of Revelation.

Let's take some time to look at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 so we can understand the first phase of Christ's second coming. I Thessalonians 4:13 says:

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Let's take a minute to work through this critical verse. The word "would" means passion or desire - God's passion/desire is that we are not ignorant (void of understanding) "concerning" (regarding) them which are asleep (dead). Why are most Christians still ignorant regarding death? Because they have no knowledge of God's Word, even though it is available for them to know!

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, the word "asleep" is a figure of speech to soften a harsh reality. It compares death to sleep - death is sleep! Even in the figure of speech, it is truthful. Death is truly the toughest thing there is in this life.

The phrase "that you sorrow not" tells us that God does not want us to be in sorrow, as if there were no hope. Remember, hope is future - it is something that is coming. As born-again believers (present), we are not like others who have no hope for Christ's second coming.

The expression "no hope" falls into two categories: 1. People who do not have any knowledge of the hope, and 2. Spiritualism or thinking the dead are alive. The Word of God says it is people who fall into these two categories that have no hope.

Do not get God's Word wrong - It's not erroneous to feel sorrow for the loss of a loved one. God's Word exhorts us not to feel sorrow to the point our lives are over, and we have no hope. God's Word teaches us that one day the dead in Christ are going to get up! This is the hope of the return! This is what keeps us going. Without the hope of the return of Christ and our gathering together with him, we could not endure the sorrow and pain of death.

1 Thessalonians 4:14:

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep; in Jesus, will God bring with him.

We pause after sleep because "in" is "by means of," and the wrong interpretation would be that we credit Jesus Christ for people dying. This is in error. In Hebrews 2:14, we are told Jesus Christ came to:

destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.

We believe that Jesus died, and God raised Him from the dead (that's how we were born again). And we hope the dead born-again believers shall rise again. Romans 10:9-10:

that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved [made whole]. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

1 Thessalonians 4:15:

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep.

In other words, this verse tells us the order in which the born-again believers will rise. Those who died after Pentecost, and who were believers, will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16:

For the Lord himself [Christ Jesus] shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel [Michael], and with the trump of God [Gabriel]: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

This is the only place in the Word of God where these sequences of events are documented. The dead in Christ shall rise first, and those born-again believers that are alive shall meet Christ Jesus in the air. This is what we hope for as born-again believers.

1 Thessalonians 4:17:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet with the Lord in the air: and so, shall we ever be like the Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:53 gives us additional information:

For this corruptible [the dead] must put on incorruption, and this mortal [alive] must put on immortality.

Quick question - Does the Lord come on the earth? No, we meet him in the air. Just making sure you were reading with understanding.

1 Thessalonians 4:18:

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

These are words of comfort; 1 Thessalonians 4:13 -18 are to comfort us. Why? Go back to verse 13:

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

We are to have comfort about those which are asleep. We are to have hope of Christ's return. The Word of God says that God is not a respecter of persons (He does not play favorites). You see, if some people were already in heaven while we were still struggling down here on earth, it wouldn't be any comfort for us. We'd think, "Gee, I want to be in heaven with God right now. To make that happen, I need to die." But our Father in his infinite fore-knowledge set it up so everybody gets there at the same time. He formed, made, and created His spirit in man and woman. And then He made available through His only begotten son, the gathering together with Christ's second coming. What an incredible blessing!

1 Corinthians 15:20 says:

but now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that slept.

1 Corinthians 15:23 tells us:

but every man in his own order: Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his [what] coming.

So, I ask you. . . has Christ come back yet? And a resounding NO is the answer. The dead in Christ are still awaiting his return! As born-again believers,our hope is in Christ's return.

We have focused this discussion on first phase of Christ's second coming. The hope of Christ's return for his saints - first for those who have died since the day of Pentecost as born-again believers. The dead in Christ are going to rise first and the corruptible (or dead) must put on incorruption. Next, those who are alive and remain at that moment are mortal and must put on immortality. And ALL the born-again believers meet Christ in the air, not on the earth.

Philippians 3:21:

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

These words bring me great comfort when a loved one falls asleep. I know in my heart that while they are no longer alive, they are sleeping. I am comforted that one day they will awake from that sleep and rise from their fallen bodies into the air with Christ Jesus. Any pain they had before they fell asleep, any sickness they may have experienced, will all be wiped away and they will awaken with a new body and meet Christ Jesus in the air. This comforts my heart and wipes away my sorrow.

In this teaching, we learned that God our Father formed the body of man and woman. He made the soul of man and woman, and He created the spirit in man and woman. Once we die, we return to the dust of the earth and our spirit returns to God who gave it. We are comforted by the hope of Christ's return and our gathering to him. We believe daily and receive God's blessings. We hope for the return of Christ and know at that time we shall ever be like the Lord! We will have that new body with that life quickening spirit in it!

Father, thank you for your Word that tells us Your will regarding the dead in Christ. Thank you that when Christ returns, we will have the same spiritual body he has. Father, thank you for comforting us in all our mental pressure that we may be able to comfort them which are stirred up emotionally by the loss of a loved one. Thank you, Father, for the hope which comforts in all our mental, physical, and spiritual battles. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

As you move forward, please keep Colossians 1:23 close to your heart:

If ye continue in the faith [family] grounded and settled and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister.

Next month's teaching: Living the Great Mystery.

In the Lord,

Ministry of Reconciliation
Son of God through Jesus Christ
Ambassador for Christ

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